Tuesday, March 28, 2006

capital punishment for child rapists passes 38-3

Today is a historic moment in SC history! The SC Senate just passed my amendment to allow for capital punishment for child rapists receiving a 2nd conviction. The roll call vote was 38-3. Out of our 46 members, some were not present and some evidently felt uncomfortable with this sentencing & chose to not vote. Should Jessica's Law pass the house in its amended form, SC will be only the 2nd state to allow for sentencing this severe.

I would like to thank our excellent Senate staff . This ground breaking legislation involving capital punishment and probable appeals to the U.S. Supreme Court took many long hours making sure the legislation is crafted correctly. Those mostly involved with this tremendous task were: Mr. Gentry, Mr. Hitchcock, Mr. Linksi, Mr. Moffitt, & Mr. Varat

The most popular questions asked:1-Why are you asking for punishment this severe? When a child is raped something precious is taken from the child's soul. They will never recover, therefore, I believe that his invasion of a child warrants capital punishment, especially since the bill calls for a 2nd conviction of child rape. This also sends a message across the world, that SC does not tolerate the molestations of our kids! Will this sentencing keep perverts out of SC? I certainly hope so.2-Does the amendment jeopardize the rest of Jessica's Law bill or our current capital punishment statutes? A "severability clause" was included in the amendment to prevent this from happening. Also, the language calls for a separate statute that may isolate this sentencing should we get a court challenge.